The Nova Scotia government has added the recent homicides of four men in the Halifax area to the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program.
Police continue to investigate the homicides of Joseph Cameron, Tyler Bradley Richards, Naricho Clayton and Daverico Downey, who all died in the Halifax area within a month.
On March 29, police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Spring Avenue and Mount Edward Road in Dartmouth around 5:20 a.m.
When officers arrived on scene, they found 20-year-old Joseph Cameron dead on the sidewalk. Investigators confirm he had been shot.
Police have said Cameron was not known to them, but they don’t believe his death was a random incident.
On April 17, police responded to a home on Cook Avenue in Halifax after receiving a 911 call that an unresponsive man had been found inside the home.
When officers arrived, they found the body of 29-year-old Tyler Richards inside. Police say he had been shot.
Two days later, police responded to Gottingen Street in Halifax after hearing gunfire. Officers located a vehicle that had left the roadway and found two men inside.
Police say both men had been shot and 23-year-old Naricho Clayton was pronounced dead at the scene. The second man, 31-year-old Ricardo Whynder, sustained serious injuries.
On April 23, police responded to a report of shots fired and a vehicle leaving at a high speed in the area of Downey Road in North Preston, N.S. Officers found the body of 20-year-old Daverico Downey on the ground near a Downey Road home. He too had been shot.
Police say Cameron, Richards, Clayton and Downey were all the victims of homicide and they are investigating whether some of the deaths may be connected.
They believe there are people who have information about the incidents that could result in an arrest and possible charges, and they hope the cash reward will offer an incentive for those people to come forward.
"Adding four homicides to the rewards program at once and within weeks of the homicides occurring is a highly unusual step for investigators, but this is also a highly unusual time for our community," said Supt. Jim Perrin. "We are hopeful that the addition of these young men's deaths to the program will prompt someone to come forward and allow us to progress the investigations as has happened in the past with other files.”
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Diana Whalen agrees, saying this investigation has been added to major crimes faster than normal.
“We needed to take action, and in that instance, this is an unusual circumstance," said Minister Whalen.
The Nova Scotia Reward for Major Unsolved Crimes Program offers up to $150,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in certain cases.
"What we really want (are) witnesses,” said Supt. Perrin. “This is about breaking the code of silence.”
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett.
